1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to structural building materials and, more specifically, wall channels which-are-typically used as backing for wallboard.
2. The Relevant Technology
The prevalent residential construction technique utilized currently in the United States employs structural members, more commonly referred to as boards, which are milled from trees. The boards can be milled from trees that are indigenous to the region or transported to the region. For example, douglas fir is often used for residential construction in the west whereas hemlock-and-other woods are used in other regions of the United States. In applications where weather resistance and rot resistance is necessitated, redwood from the west coast may be transported for use in those applications.
Conventional, residential framing techniques utilize 2xc3x974 or 2xc3x976 boards in wall construction. As depicted in FIG. 1, a framed wall 10 typically comprises a horizontally disposed top plate 12, a horizontally disposed bottom plate 14 and a plurality of vertically oriented studs 16 that extend between plates 12 and 14. Studs 16 are usually spaced apart either, 16 inches or 24 inches on center. Studs 16 are typically held in place by nailing through the top and bottom plates 12 and 14 into studs 16. This regular pattern of studs 16 is interrupted by door and window openings and by the need to tie into interior or partition walls and to create corners for intersections with other exterior walls.
At the point of intersection between an interior wall or two exterior walls, a special channel member needs to be assembled. For example, depicted in FIG. 1, a substantially U-shaped channel member 18 is position at the intersection of wall 10 with a second wall 17. In a conventional wall made of 2xc3x974""s, channel member 18 is created by assembling three 2xc3x974 studs. As depicted in FIG. 2, channel member 18 comprises a pair of side studs 20 and 22 and a center stud 24 extending therebetween. As depicted in FIG. 3, side stud 20 comprises a front face 26, an opposing back face 27, and opposing side faces 28, 29; side stud 22 comprises a front face 30, a back face 31, and opposing side faces 32, 33; and center stud 24 comprises a front face 34, an opposing back face 35 and opposing side faces 36,37.
During assembly, side face 37 of center stud 24 is biased against front face 26 of side stud 20 adjacent side face 28. In this position, nails are driven through back face 27 of side stud 20 into center stud 24, thereby securing studs 20 and 24 together at right angles. Similarly, side face 36 of center stud 24 is biased against front face 30 of side stud 22 adjacent to side face 32. In this position, nails are driven through back face 31 of side stud 22 and into center stud 24, thereby securing studs 22 and 24 together at right angles.
Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the resulting channel member 18 has thickness T equal to the width of a conventional stud and a width W that is greater than the width of a conventional stud. During use of channel member 18 in a corner configuration, channel member 18 is positioned at the end of wall 10 such that back face 35 of center stud 24 faces intersecting wall 17. The opposing ends of channel member 18 are secured to and covered by plates 12 and 14. Intersecting wall 17 in then secured to wall 10 by positioning a stud 40 of wall 17 against back face 35 of center stud 24 and nailing the two together. As a result of channel member 18 having a width W greater than the width of stud 40, an exposed inside corner 42 is formed at the juncture of channel member 18 and stud 40. Inside corner 42 is useful in that it forms a backing surface on which wallboard can be nailed during mounting on both wall 10 and wall 17. Specifically, the wallboard can be nailed to an exposed side face 39 of stud 40 and exposed side face 28 of side stud 20.
Although conventional channel members 18 are useful, they have several drawbacks. For example, conventional channel members 18 are nailed together at a construction site out of available 2xc3x974 studs. During the assemblage of the studs, some lumber is wasted because it chips and cracks when the pieces are nailed together or the sections can be improperly aligned at their ends so that they are not flush, thereby making the assemblage unusable. Furthermore, the 2xc3x974""s are often warped or become warped under environmental conditions such as high heat or exposure to water. The manufacture of channel member 18 out of warped boards or the subsequent warping of the assembled channel member makes it difficult to insure that the corresponding wall is straight and plum. Furthermore, the warped channel member can provide an irregular surface to which the wallboard is attached. As a result, the exposed wallboard on the finished wall can have an irregular appearance.
An additional problem with conventional channel members 18 is that they have a fixed structural strength. That is, using conventional 2xc3x974""s, channel member 18 can only be assembled in one configuration having fixed structural properties. In most situation, the use of three 2xc3x974""s produces a channel member that exceeds desired strength requirement, thereby resulting in an excess use of wood. In other occasions, however, particularly where the walls are exposed to heavy loads, channel member 18 can have insufficient strength.
Finally, as a result of the increased expense and decreased availability of lumber, there is a need for manufacturing inexpensive channel members that minimize the depletion of available lumber supplies.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved channel members for use in framing buildings.
Another object of the present invention is to provide improved channel members wherein neither the channel members nor the discrete elements thereof warp.
Also an object of the present invention is to provide channel members as above wherein the channel members have an improved design to resist buckling, bending, and warping in an assembled condition.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide channel members as above that can be engineered and selectively designed to meet desired code and/or strength requirements.
Another object of the present invention is to provide channel members that can be easily and inexpensively mass produced to exacting tolerances.
Finally, another object of the present invention is to provide channel members that minimize the required use of lumber and wood material.
In order to achieve the forgoing and other objectives, in one embodiment a channel member is provided having an elongated backboard with a front face and an opposing back face each extending between a first side face and an opposing second side face. An elongated first rail has a front face extending between a first side face and an opposing second side face. The first side face of the first rail is secured against the front face of the backboard so as to orthogonally project adjacent to the first side face of the backboard. An elongated second rail has a front face extending between a first side face and an opposing second side face. The first side face of the second rail is secured against the front face of the backboard so as to orthogonally project therefrom adjacent to the second side face of the backboard. The backboard, first rail, and second rail are discrete elements comprised of wafer board. The assembled channel member has a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section with a width greater than the width of a 2xc3x974 stud or other framing member the channel member is to bet used with. The channel member also has a thickness that is substantially equal to the width of a 2xc3x974 stud or other framing member the channel member is to be used with.
In an alternative embodiment, a channel member is provided wherein the channel member is molded as an integral discrete unit. This channel member also has a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section and has a width and thickness comparable to the channel member discussed above. In contrast to the above channel member wherein the front faces of the opposing rails are disposed in substantially parallel planes, the interior faces of the rails on the molded channel inwardly slope to a converging apex. The molded channel is comprised of a mixture of organic, non-wood fibers, such as straw from wheat or oat, and a resin such as isocyanate.
The inventive channel members can be used in substantially the same way as conventional channel members but have several distinct advantages. For example, the inventive channel members can be engineered to specifically meet code and design requirements. That is, the thickness and width of the discrete members or the configuration of the mold can be selectively altered to produce channel members having desired strength properties without changing the overall thickness and width of the channel member. As a result, the channel members can be formed that have minimal material cost and optimal strength. Manufacturing the channel members out of wafer board or the inventive composition further insures that channel members will not warp or bend under a variety of different environmental conditions. As a result, the inventive channel members insure that the corresponding wall is straight and plum and insures that a flat surface is provided for securing the wallboard thereto. Furthermore, manufacturing the channel member out of the inventive organic fiber composition minimizes the use of lumber or wood product and significantly decreases the cost of the product.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.